While there’s an industry trend toward electric vehicles, there are many mobility sectors—aviation, heavy-duty trucking, rail, off-road machinery, and marine, for example—that will continue to rely on internal combustion engines for the foreseeable future.
University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers are researching engine technologies with a lower carbon footprint that could power vehicles in these “hard-to-electrify” sectors. Their fundamental research will pave the way for hybrid-electric engines capable of running smoothly and reliably on a variety of fuels, including a range of net-low-carbon fuels such as ethanol, methanol and ammonia.
Professor David Rothamer speaks at the grand opening ceremony for the Altitude and Climatic Testing Laboratory. Credit: Todd Brown.
A new facility at UW-Madison—the Altitude and Climatic Testing Laboratory—will enable the researchers to advance their work and investigate the performance of multi-fuel, hybrid-electric engines in extreme environments, such as at high altitudes.
“This testing lab is designed to simulate conditions up to 26,000 feet in altitude, which is an extraordinarily unique capability,” says David Rothamer, a professor of mechanical engineering at UW-Madison and principal investigator for the project. “There are increased challenges for engines operating at high altitudes, and this facility really allows us to push the limits of engine performance over a full range of conditions and for multiple types of fuels.”
The facility is also capable of simulating a range of climates, which is particularly useful for testing ground vehicle engine systems in harsh environments. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory is supporting the research and the new lab.
“Obtaining experimental data at higher altitudes and in cold temperatures is challenging and extremely costly,” says Mike Kweon, program manager of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory’s Versatile Tactical Power and Propulsion Essential Research Program. “Researchers have faced difficulties developing and validating models under extreme operating conditions. I am confident that the Altitude and Climatic Testing Laboratory will play a major role in generating this crucial data, advancing technology development in energy, power and propulsion.”
Many heavy-duty vehicles run on diesel fuel, which readily auto-ignites in compression ignition engines; however, net-low-carbon fuels do not. To overcome this barrier, the researchers are developing techniques for assisting the ignition process with net-low-carbon fuels. Essentially, the goal is to develop an engine that has the performance of a diesel engine while running on more sustainable fuel.
Rothamer says the team’s research advances will be useful in various industries, including emerging air taxi companies. This work could also help enable viable alternatives to leaded aviation fuels, which the industry is trying to phase out.
With its state-of-the-art facilities, the new lab will enrich the educational experience and give students valuable hands-on learning opportunities. “UW-Madison is the only university in the country with a facility that has these cutting-edge capabilities,” Rothamer says. “This will allow our students to expand the range of problems they can tackle and prepare them well for careers in industry.”
David Rothamer is the Robert Lorenz Professor of Mechanical Engineering and College of Engineering associate dean for research.
Featured image caption: Equipment in the UW-Madison Altitude and Climatic Testing Laboratory, housed in the Engine Research Center, is being used to research the performance of multi-fuel, hybrid-electric engines in extreme environments. Credit: Todd Brown.